Cotton-chopper.



O. S. SNOW.

COTTON CHOPPER. APPLIUATIOVN FILED JULY 31, 1909.

%@,%6,, Patentd; Mar. 1, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

O. S. SNOW.

COTTON CHOPPER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 31, 1900.

Patented Mar. 1, 1910.

'2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

u um 1 ANDREW E. GnAu/m 00., PuoTo-uTnoGRnPnERs WASHVNGYON n. c.

ORTO S. SNOW, OF NEAR GRAND VIEW, TEXAS, ASSIG-NOR 0F ONE-HALF TO BEAURYBOSWELL, 0F GRAND VIEW, TEXAS.

COTTON-CHOPPER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Dare S. Snow, a citizen of the United States,residing near Grand View, in the county of Johnson and State of Texas,have invented new and useful Improvements in Cotton-Choppers, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention is an improved cotton chopper embodying a frame and anumber of plows carried by the frame and adapted to be driven across therows of cotton plants to chop out superfluous plants and leave thestands and the said invention consists in the construction, combinationand arrange ment of devices hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings :--Figure 1 is a cotton chopping machineconstructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a verticallongitudinal sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail view showingthe standard of the caster wheel in elevation and the bearings andoperating lever of the same in section.

In accordance with my invention, I )rovide a frame 1 which may be of theform here shown or of any other suitable construction and which has siderunners 2. Each runner is here shown as of open construction andprovided with a centrally dis posed longitudinal brace rod 3 and withfront and rear brace rods 4, 5. At the rear corners of the frame arediagonal braces 6. Similar braces 7 are at its front corners. A lowercross bar 8 which is in the same plane with the brace rods 3 connectsthe rear ends of the runners. Cross bars 9, 10 are near the front end ofthe frame, the former connecting vertical bars 11 which extend from nearthe front ends of thebars 3 to the upper sides of the runners and thelatter which is at a distance in rear of the bar 9 connecting the saidbars 3. A tongue or other suitable draft device 12 is connected to thefront ends of the runners so that the machine may be readily drawn fromplace to place. The runners, which constitute the sides of the frame,are provided with vertical guides 12. Vertically disposed slides 13operate and are movable vertically in said guides. The said slides areconnected together by a cross bar 14: and are provided on their innersides at a suitable distance from their upper ends with sockets 15 forthe reception of and forming bearings for Specification of LettersPatent.

Application filed July 31, 1909.

liratented llltar. 1, 1910.

Serial No. 510,586.

the ends of a shaft or bar 16. The cross bar 141- is provided withaseries of upwardly extending stops 17 of which there are a suitablenumber appropriately spaced apart.

A series of plows 18 are employed, each of a which has a standard 19provided on its front side with an arm 20 adapted to bear on the crossbar lt and provided at its front end with a fork 21 to receive one ofthe stops 17. Each of the said standards is securely connected as bymeans of a U-bolt 22 to a sleeve 23, the said sleeves being placed onthe shaft or rod 16 and being appropriately spaced apart and eachprovided with a set screw 2 1 to engage the shaft or rod 16, said setscrews serving to secure the sleeves and hence the plows at the requireddistance apart. This construction and arrangement of devices alsoenables any required number of the plows to be employed and the spacesbetween the plows to be regulated, as will be understood.

A rock shaft 25 is mounted in bearings 26 on the sides of the frame andis provided with rock arms 27 which are connected as by means of chains28 to the vertically movable slides 13. A hand lever 29 is secured tothe said rock shaft at a point near the seat 30 and is provided with adog 31 of ordinary construction which coacts with a segment 32 securedona cross bar of the frame to lock the rock shaft with its arms 27 inany desired position and hence maintain the plows, which are adjustablevertically by means of said rock shaft and the connections hereinbeforedescribed, at any desired adjustment. The arms 20 of the plow standardsare in practice made of steel or other material which while being stifl'will bend under stress. The said arms serve to lock the standards of theplows in the op erative position shown in full lines in Fig. 2 andmaintain the standards in such position under ordinary circumstances.How ever, should a plow strike a rock, stump, or other unyieldingobstruction, the standard will turn rearwardly to an inclined positionsuch as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. the arm 20 yieldingsufficiently to permit this and hence injury to the plow or its standardwill be prevented.

The cross bar 9 of the frame is provided at its center with a bearing 34for a vertically movable standard 35 which has at its lower end adownwardly and rearwardly inclined fork 3G in which is mounted a casterwheel 37. A link 38 is pivotally connected at its lower end as at 89 toa cross bar 40 which is at the front end of the frame. To the upper endof the said link is pivotally connected one end of a hand lever 41 as at42. Said hand lever has a dog 43 of usual construction which coaets witha segment 44 to secure the said lever at any desired adjustment, thesaid segment being mounted and secured on the cross bar 10 of the frame.The standard 35 passes through an opening in a bowed or widened portion45 of the lever 41. A sleeve 46 is on that portion of the said standardwhich is within the said opening of the lever and is engaged on oppositesides by pivot screws 47 with which the said lever is provided so thatsaid sleeve is pivotally connected to the said lever. Said sleeve isheld in place on the standard by collars 48 which are above and belowsaid sleeve and are provided with set screws 49 which engage saidstandard and secure said collars and hence said sleeve in place.

It will be understood from the foregoing description and by reference tothe. drawings that by appropriately moving the lever 41 the caster wheel37 may be raised and lowered. lVhen the machine is in operation in afield across cotton rows for chopping out cotton, the caster wheel israised as indieated in Fig. 2 so that it (ltlt'w' not engage the ground.\Vhen it desired to turn the machine at the end of a row, the casterwheel is lowered to a sufiicient extent to bear on the ground and raisethe front ends of the runners and thus enable the machine to be turnedwithout causing the runners by their side-wise motion to destroy cottonplants. By securing only a suitable number of standards on the shaft orbar 16, the

machine may be used as a marker for marking ofl' corn or other rowsacross the field as will be understood.

What is claimed is In a cotton chopping machine, a frame, slidesconnected thereto for vertical movement, a shaft disposed transverselyof the frame and attached to and movable with the slides, a cross baralso connecting the T. H. HARnnLL, E. A. BEDICI-IEK.

